Good Gossip - Hardcover

The lives and loves of a group of New York women are breathlessly hashed over in this collection of amusing stories by a contributor to The New Yorker and Wigwag--droll, sophisticated fiction by a promising Brooklyn writer. As in all really good gossip, the characters in these interlocked accounts establish their roles quickly and with dramatic abandon: Susannah, who came to New York to be an actress, marries early and rich; Eileen Filley, the contentious and slovenly playwright, achieves success too young; Dee Kilmartin throws parties where drunks shatter mirrors in the foyer and fall asleep in the bathtub, while Liz Quirk informs everyone of the facts behind every rumor, and Rosemary, the narrator, lets the reader in on what's really going on. All approaching their 30s, these urban strivers meet at cafes, in sublet apartments, and over the phone to gasp at such remarkable events as Susannah's move to the suburbs; Eileen's decision to take a job in a card shop as her first play opens on Broadway; and Dee's move uptown and her subsequent devastating isolation; and to wonder over such oddities as the Mask Woman, the girlfriend who never speaks, the in-laws who laugh at everything, and so on. Urban fears--including dreams of being found dead in one's apartment (``The problem,'' says Liz, ``is I have such a good deal on this place that the dream isn't just anxiety, it's prophecy'') and fantasies of escape via professional success, marriage and/or children, or a permanent apartment--distract from dreaded moments of calm reflection. As Rosemary admits, ``There's a special sort of pang you get when you realize that you aren't going to learn seven languages, and that there are countries you won't ever visit, and that somehow through the years you've turned into a specific sort of person.'' On the other hand, ``Think of all the things that could happen at a party.'' An accurate chronicle, wittily rendered. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The problem with Carey's collection is that the gossip is not good. It is uninteresting, bland, and trivial. Why did Susannah marry "boring" Harry? What happened at Dee's last party? What will happen at Dee's next party? Who really cares? The reader does not become engaged in the lives of these superficial, one-dimensional characters. The collection itself is composed of 11 short stories that involve a group of young (thirtysomething) New Yorkers who are friends or who go to the same parties. They rent new sublets, frequent new bars, get new jobs, date new people, and even discuss soap operas. However, nothing really significant ever happens. There is no crisis, no intrigue--only the endless concern for the latest happenings. A marginal purchase.
- Stephanie Furtsch, New Ro chelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.